The present invention relates generally to modified poker card games, and more into particularly, to a method, an apparatus, and a computer readable medium storing computer-executable instructions for playing a combination of modified poker games, in a local and/or global network environment.
The state gaming control boards of Nevada and New Jersey (which have traditionally been slow to approve any new games or gambling concepts) have changed their philosophy so dramatically that, today, they actively encourage the trial and acceptance of new games and gambling concepts. The problem with introducing new games has always been the basic criteria for mass-market gambling:
Game rules must be easy to learn.
Strategies must be easy to master and not favor xe2x80x9cthe expertxe2x80x9d disproportionately.
Games must have a short duration between the start (the bet) and the finish (the payoff).
The payoff structure, that is, what can be won by a lucky player, must be enticing.
The game must be fair; the casino should not have an unreasonable advantage.
The game must be xe2x80x9csecure, xe2x80x9d that is, protected from cheating and tampering.
The casino""s xe2x80x9cwinxe2x80x9d must be demonstrated to be worthwhile, that is, the xe2x80x9cwin per machine per monthxe2x80x9d must at least compare favorably to that of the xe2x80x9cslots. xe2x80x9d
Over the years, there have been many different types of games that have attempted to satisfy the demands of the gaming industry. These games have ranged the gamut from those involving great mental prowess to games involving merely chance. Obviously, a strong interest lies in games that create real excitement.
One such game is poker, a mainstay in the gambling world. Traditional five or seven card poker often uses the following rank order of winning hands from highest to lowest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, and xe2x80x9cJacks or better. xe2x80x9d Typically, one or more players are each dealt a poker hand by one player who acts as the dealer. The player with the highest hand according to the established rank order wins.
xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker, one variation of five card poker, provides each player with five cards, forming a hand. If the players are separately playing against the dealer, naturally, each player attempts to beat the dealer or to obtain one of a predetermined collection of winning hands, such as those in the above-mentioned rank order. Often, a payoff for a given winning hand is inversely proportional to the probability of attaining that hand.
One disadvantage of xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker is that a player must single-handedly ascertain each and every possible winning card combination and its associated payoff. To the novice poker player, this myriad of winning combinations can seem intimidating and even overwhelming, and, to the detriment of the game owner, serve to discourage beginning players from playing.
Perhaps an even greater disadvantage of xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker is that a player has no opportunity to improve on a hand that has been dealt. As such, the outcome of a xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker game is based only on the initially dealt hand. Absolutely no control or decision making is required on the part of the player. Hence, a xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker player is often left with the helpless feeling that the outcome of the game depends only upon luck.
xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker, on the other hand, permits a player to make a single discard, whereby one or more of the cards selected by the player are replaced by the dealer. A discard provides an opportunity for the player to increase the value of his hand. Typically, only one discard per round is permitted. Plainly, xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker increases the probability of obtaining a winning hand. To offset the probability of an improved hand and the better chances of winning, often the dealer reduces the payoff for any such winning hand by a constant amount.
However, like xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker, a disadvantage of xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker is that the player must single-handedly ascertain each and every possible winning card combination and its associated payoff. Thus, although a xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker player is afforded an opportunity to exercise some control over the fate of the game, the complexity and large number of winning combinations is oftentimes enough to drive a beginning player away from the game, thus adversely affecting a game owner""s business.
Also, conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker does not provide the benefit of awarding multiple payouts for a single hand. The effects of this drawback become apparent in the case of an exceptional poker hand, for example, four aces. In this instance, it would be advantageous to present a player with the opportunity to win multiple high-return payouts for obtaining this relatively rare hand. However, in conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker, a player has the opportunity to be rewarded only once, namely, after the draw, for achieving this exceptional hand.
Another disadvantage associated with conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker is its lack of incentive to pursue rare hands. To illustrate, on an initial deal of a 3, 4, 5, 6, and 10, the player is one card, namely a 7, short of a straight flush. On the draw, one strategy available to the player is to replace the 10 in hopes of completing the straight flush and receiving its relatively high payout. On the other hand, the player may wish to xe2x80x9cplay it safexe2x80x9d and replace multiple cards in hopes of receiving a lesser but more common hand, say a pair of 10""s, in an attempt to return at least a portion of the ante. However, in conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker, a player may pursue only one of the two options. That is, the player is limited to pursuing either the rare hand and its exceptional payout or the common hand and its relatively smaller payout. The strategy of pursuing a rare hand while still maintaining an opportunity to return at least a portion of the ante is simply not an option in conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker.
Recently, electronic video poker gaming devices have been developed, placing traditional xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d poker and xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker in an exciting multimedia environment. Various attempts have been made to enhance play of poker in the new environment over the years. Examples of such attempts are described in the following U.S. patent references, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference:
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,022; Wood
U.S. Pat. No. 4,948,134; Suttle et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,049; Tomaszewski
U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,137; Fulton
U.S. Pat. No. 5,118,109; Gumina
U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,915; Miller
U.S. Pat. No. 5,294,128; Marquez
U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,194; Wolf
U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,025; Sklansky et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,199; Gumina
U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,404; Joshi et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,431,407; Hofberg et al.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,451; Fulton
U.S. Pat. No. 15,882,259; Holmes, Jr.
Yet, these attempts suffer from flaws similar to those of traditional poker games. That is, heretofore, the gaming environment has frustrated poker players. Seemingly frequent losing hands, and, in turn, seemingly frequent lost wagers, detract from the optimal gaming environment. Worse still, depending on the type of poker, players have little or no control over the eventual outcome of a hand.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,882,259 discloses a method of playing a variation of an electronic video poker game. This modified poker game basically modifies the traditional manner of playing electronic video draw poker by adding a payout based on the initial five card hand that is displayed to the player when the player activates a xe2x80x9cDealxe2x80x9d button on the electronic gaming machine. Thus, the player plays a single game and has the opportunity to win an additional reward or payout. Specifically, the player is initially dealt a first hand of cards. With this first hand of cards, a first winning amount or extra payout is made according to whether the first hand of cards matches generally a single or limited predesignated hand or arrangement of cards. After awarding this first winning amount, if one is due, the game continues as a standard xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker game. Namely, the player discards any number of cards in an attempt to obtain a winning poker hand or to improve an already winning poker hand. Subsequently, the discarded cards, if any, are replaced with replacement cards to form a second hand of cards. Then, this second hand of cards is compared with a standard or conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker payout schedule to determine the amount of any final payout. Thus, this patent provides combining the known games of draw poker in combination with a stud-like game used to match a single or limited predesignated arrangement of cards into a single game with multiple chances of winning.
Referring to FIG. 1, the ""259 patent provides three or more 7s, at 10, as one example of a predesignated arrangement of cards required for receiving the first or extra payout. With this aptly named xe2x80x9cBonus Poker with 7sxe2x80x9d variation, a player receives a first payout if the predetermined hand of three or more 7s are dealt in the first hand. After paying any extra payout, the game continues with the player discarding and subsequently replacing any cards to form a second or final hand of cards, which is used to award the conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker payout. Thus, if a player is initially dealt a first hand of three 7s, a 3, and an ace, the player would receive the first payout, in this case 30 coins for receiving a hand meeting the requirements of the predesignated arrangement, in this case, three 7s. Continuing with this illustration, if the player replaced the 3 and the ace with a 4 and a 5, resulting in a final hand of three 7s, a 4 and a 5, the player would receive a conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker payout for a three-of-a-kind.
Another example of the ""259 game is described with reference to FIGS. 2-4. In this particular variation of the ""259 game, the player chooses the five predesignated cards, as well as the order of the hand, required for receiving the extra payout. To win the extra payout in this variation, each of the five cards must be dealt with at least three of the cards being in the order selected by the player. As depicted in FIG. 2, the player selects the five predesignated cards 22 by touching a touch sensitive screen 20. In this case, the player has selected the king of hearts as the first card in the hand, the jack of clubs as the second, the 2 of clubs as the third, the 7 of hearts as the fourth, and the 6 of spades as the fifth and final card of the predesignated hand. Referring to FIG. 3, screen 35 depicts each of the possible winning hands. Thus, as an example, the player would win the payout shown at 34 for attaining any of the hands listed at 36.
Play then proceeds by dealing the player""s first hand. As shown in FIG. 4, the dealt hand matches the predesignated cards not only in the cards selected but also in the order selected. Thus, the first or extra payout is awarded to the player. Afterwards, the game continues as a conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker game with a player discarding and replacing cards from the first hand to form a second hand, and subsequently awarding a payout based on the cards contained in the newly formed xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker hand.
Referring back to FIG. 1, this variation of the ""259 game also awards a lesser extra payout amount if the first hand contains each of the player""s predesignated cards but has less than three cards in the order selected by the player. Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, although a dealt hand may have less than three cards in the order designated by the player, the payout shown at 12 is nevertheless awarded.
The ""259 game fails to address the difficulties associated with traditional xe2x80x9cSTUDxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker games. For example, because the ""259 game merely adds an extra single hand or limited hand payout to a conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker game, the ultimate payout amount is still determined by a separate payout schedule, in addition to the xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker payout schedules. Thus, a novice player is still faced with the formidable task of ascertaining the additional limited winning card combination and its associated payoff. Without an easy to learn component or aspect, it is conceivable that a beginning player may avoid the ""259 game in favor of a simpler and easier to learn game.
In addition, little or no control or strategy is required to win the extra payout because the player merely selects the limited arrangement of cards to be matched, or even worse, has the cards determined in advance by the game owner. Outside of the draw and the selection of the predetermined cards, no interaction during the game is required on the part of the player. Without a dynamic and interactive component, this method strengthens the impression that the player has little or no control over the game""s ultimate outcome. Furthermore, to the novice player, the owner-determined predesignated winning hands are in some cases just as difficult to remember and comprehend in combination with the conventional xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker winning schedules.
Also, the ""259 game provides no feature which rewards multiple payouts for a single exceptional hand and has no insurance aspect which encourages attempts to obtain these exceptional hands. Thus, as with standard xe2x80x9cDRAWxe2x80x9d poker, a player would rarely attempt to obtain an exceptional hand for fear of losing an opportunity to return a portion of his wager, and even if such an exceptional hand were to be obtained, the player would be limited to a single payout.
Furthermore, the ""259 game is a single game that appears to allow only a single bet to be placed and is limited to only two payouts. Consequently, the ""250 game lacks flexibility and does not result in as much excitement as games having more than two payouts.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that creates a higher perceived sense of winning than conventional poker games. The player ought to feel that he or she is winning more often, through multiple winning opportunities, and that the runs of wins are extended relative to conventional poker games.
It is also desirable to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that enables the player to exhibit some control over at least a portion of the eventual outcome of the total payoffs in a round of poker. It would be even more desirable to award the payouts based on strategic choices of card placements and other interactions. Furthermore, it is desirable to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that incorporates games that are simple enough to attract the attention of novice players and yet also contain games that are sophisticated enough to maintain the interest of poker veterans.
Additionally, it is desirable to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that affords a player an opportunity to develop a strategy which may be used to reap the benefit of several relatively high payouts based on obtaining a single exceptional hand. Relatedly, it is also desirable to provide an improved combination of modified poker games which provides a player with the flexibility and with the encouragement or incentive to attempt to obtain such an exceptional hand through for instance allowing the player to bet on several games and by offering more than two payouts per play and where the multiple payouts do not involve inconsistent winning strategies.
It is a feature and an advantage of the present invention to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that creates a higher perceived sense of winning, through, for example, multiple winning opportunities than conventional poker games.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that enables the player to exhibit some control over at least a portion of the eventual outcome of the total payoffs in a round of poker, based on skillful choices of card placements.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an improved combination of modified poker games that is simple enough to attract the attention of novice players and yet is sophisticated enough to maintain the interest of poker veterans.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an improved combination of modified poker games which affords a player an opportunity to develop a substantially consistent strategy which may be used to reap multiple relatively high payouts based on a single exceptional hand.
It is another feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an improved combination of modified poker games which provides a player with the encouragement or incentive through, for example, a related side game, to attempt to obtain an exceptional hand.
To achieve the above and address other problems of the prior art, the present invention provides an improved and novel method, system, and computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for playing a card game. In one embodiment, the present invention commences with dealing a card from at least one deck of cards to a player, for placement into one position of a card hand having a predetermined number of positions. The dealt card is then arranged, by the player, in only one position of the predetermined number of positions of the card hand responsive to an ordered ranking of one of lowest ranking to highest ranking and highest ranking to lowest ranking. These steps are repeated until all of the predetermined number of positions have been filled with the dealt cards. Subsequently, a first portion of a payout or a first payout is awarded to the player if the dealt cards of the card hand have been arranged in the ordered ranking. Similarly, a second portion of the payout or a second payout is awarded to the player if the dealt cards of the card hand comprise a predetermined combination of cards resulting in a payable hand as determined according to a winning hand payout schedule.
In another embodiment, the method, system, and computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for playing a card game of the present invention commences also with dealing a card. The dealt card is then arranged in only one position in a card hand having a predetermined number of available positions. These steps are repeated until the predetermined number of available positions have been filled with the dealt cards. Next, at least one payout is awarded if the dealt cards in the positions have been arranged in at least one predetermined order.
In yet another embodiment, the method, system, and computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for playing a card game of the present invention includes selecting a target card having at least one target characteristic. This embodiment continues with dealing a card having at least one card characteristic. The dealt card is subsequently arranged in only one position in a card hand having a predetermined number of available positions. These steps are repeated until the predetermined number of available positions have been filled with the dealt cards including the card dealt in the dealing step. At that time, a first payout is awarded if the dealt cards in the positions have been arranged in a predetermined order. In addition, a second payout is awarded if at least one card characteristic of at least one of the dealt cards matches the at least one target characteristic. Finally, a third payout is awarded if the dealt cards in the card hand meet predetermined criteria.
In still yet another embodiment, the method, system, and computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions for playing a card game of the present invention includes wagering on one or more of a first, second and third card games. The game then continues with selecting, if a wager was made on the first card game, a target card having at least one target characteristic. A card having at least one card characteristic is then dealt. The dealt card is arranged in only one position in a card hand having a predetermined number of available positions. These steps are repeated until the predetermined number of available positions have been filled with the dealt cards. A first payout is awarded if at least one card characteristic of at least one of the dealt cards matches the at least one target characteristic and if a wager was made on the first card game. The invention then awards a second payout if the dealt cards in the positions have been arranged in a predetermined order and if a wager was made on the second card game. A third payout is awarded if a wager was made on the second card game and if the dealt cards in the hand meet predetermined criteria. Next, the invention includes optionally discarding one or more cards of the hand if a wager was made on the third card game. From there, the invention includes replacing, if a wager was made on the third card game, any discarded cards with an equal number of replacement cards, wherein the replacement cards and the cards which were not discarded together constitute a second card hand of cards. Lastly, the invention includes awarding, if a wager was made on the third card game, a fourth payout if the cards in the second card hand of cards meet another predetermined criteria which optionally correspond to the first predetermined criteria.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
Other objects of the present invention will be evident to those of ordinary skill, particularly upon consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
The detailed descriptions which follow may be presented in terms of program procedures executed on computing or processing systems such as, for example, a stand-alone gaming machine, a computer or network of computers. These procedural descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art.
A procedure is here, and generally, conceived to be a self-consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. These steps are those requiring physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared and otherwise manipulated. It proves convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like. It should be noted, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities.
Further, the manipulations performed are often referred to in terms, such as adding or comparing, which are commonly associated with mental operations performed by a human operator. No such capability of a human operator is necessary, or desirable in most cases, in any of the operations described herein which form part of the present invention; the operations are machine operations. Useful machines for performing the operation of the present invention include general purpose digital computers or similar devices.